Manchester City reject Barcelona's offer to include key players as makeweight in deal for Ferran Torres: Reports
Barcelona are looking to sign Manchester City forward Ferran Torres to bolster their attacking lineup. The Catalans have been left short up front after potentially losing former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero to a heart condition.
Ansu Fati is still nursing a left thigh injury. Though it's been reported that the 19-year-old forward aims to be fit in time to play for Bayern Munich on December 8. Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong are surplus to requirements which leaves Memphis Depay as the only senior striker in the Barcelona squad.
As reported by Sport in Spain, Barcelona value Torres as £34m which is some way off Manchester City’s £60m valuation.
Because of their lack of funds, Barcelona were intending to use some of their 'big names' as makeshifts to make the operation cheaper. But Machester City have rejected that proposal. It is, however, believed that Barcelona have already agreed personal terms with Torres.
Ferran Torres has accepted a five-year contract and a lower salary to join Barcelona from Man City, per @gerardromero https://t.co/R4I8ghVyvM
It is understood that the 'big names' in question were: Sergi Roberto, Clément Lenglet, Óscar Mingueza, Coutinho, Neto, and Samuel Umtiti. But the Sky Blues were put off by their high wage demands, among other things.
They were also left suspicious as to why Barcelona tabled such high earners. Especially when there were younger, more exciting talents such as Gavi and Nico Gonzalez in Catalonia, who Manchester City would surely not say no to.
Manchester City have recently attempted to shed off the 'money-bags' tag by trying to keep their wage bill in check. They will therefore not sign any player who commands huge weekly upkeep. This is especially if the player is of a lesser pedigree compared to the star-studded quality the Citizens have at their disposal.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Phil Foden, the two rising Manchester City stars, are on £20,000 and £12,000 per week respectively. Meanwhile, Torres is paid £46,000 weekly.
The £143.2m they are spending on salaries annually is also smaller than Chelsea’s £162.6m and Manchester United’s £226.7 annual wage bill.
Manchester City are, however, standing firm on their valuation.
Spanish journalist, Gerard Romero, reported that ‘Barcelona trust to find the OK from England’. The Catalans are hopeful that the fluid relations between the two clubs will foster an amicable outcome sooner rather than later.
It’s also been reported that the "how" of the deal is equally important to Barcelona since the Catalans are now more prudent with their expenditure. Because of Barca's £1.3bn debt, authority figures at Camp Nou are suggesting that a £34m expenditure can only be viable as from next summer.
It could mean Barcelona are unwilling to cough up the transfer fee at a single go. They are likely to negotiate a settlement that permits installments and performance-related add-ons.
Barcelona could be forced to look for funds to buy Torres after Manchester City reject player plus cash deals
Whether Manchester City will give in to such demands remains to be seen. But Pep and Txiki Begiristain could be arm-twisted into selling because of Torres' desire to leave in search of more game time.
It’s believed that despite their financial struggles, Barcelona's allure is apparently strong on the 21-year old Spaniard. He also reportedly looks forward to working with Xavi.
Should negotiations hit an impase, Barcelona will look to leverage their shirt deal with Rakuten. Their contract is coming to an end and could be renewed for more funds.
🚨Man City’s Ferran Torres has emerged as a target for Barcelona. However, the Catalans don’t have the cash to complete the deal so are trying to raise funds.
(Source: Athletic) https://t.co/brFwKW9gej
Stadium rights are also up for renewal. Barcelona will be keen to milk every penny they can from sponsors having narrowed down eligible candidates to five.
While speaking to the media, Barcelona CEO Ferran Reverter disclosed that they are currently studying a new deal proposal by private equity firm CVC Capital.
Barcelona took a U-turn after initially joining Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao to reject the original contract. It would have seen the American company pour £2.4bn into La Liga.